Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Aug;24(4):229-68.
doi: 10.1037/pha0000084.

Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review

Albert Garcia-Romeu  1 , Brennan Kersgaard  1 , Peter H Addy  2
Affiliations
Review

Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review

Albert Garcia-Romeu et al. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2016 Aug.

Abstract

Hallucinogens fall into several different classes, as broadly defined by pharmacological mechanism of action, and chemical structure. These include psychedelics, entactogens, dissociatives, and other atypical hallucinogens. Although these classes do not share a common primary mechanism of action, they do exhibit important similarities in their ability to occasion temporary but profound alterations of consciousness, involving acute changes in somatic, perceptual, cognitive, and affective processes. Such effects likely contribute to their recreational use. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that these drugs may have therapeutic applications beyond their potential for abuse. This review will present data on several classes of hallucinogens with a particular focus on psychedelics, entactogens, and dissociatives, for which clinical utility has been most extensively documented. Information on each class is presented in turn, tracing relevant historical insights, highlighting similarities and differences between the classes from the molecular to the behavioral level, and presenting the most up-to-date information on clinically oriented research with these substances, with important ramifications for their potential therapeutic value. (PsycINFO Database Record

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Abdallah CG, Averill LA, Krystal JH. Ketamine as a promising prototype for a new generation of rapid- acting antidepressants. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2015a;1344(1):66–77. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abdallah CG, Sanacora G, Duman RS, Krystal JH. Ketamine and rapid-acting antidepressants: a window into a new neurobiology for mood disorder therapeutics. Annual review of medicine. 2015b;66:509–523. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abramson HA, Rolo A. Comparison of LSD with methysergide and psilocybin on test subjects. In: Abramson H, editor. The Use of LSD in Psychotherapy and Alcoholism. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill; 1967. pp. 53–73.
    1. Aceto MD, Bowman ER, Harris LS, May EL. Dependence studies of new compounds in the rhesus monkey and mouse (1991) NIDA research monograph. 1992;119:513. - PubMed
    1. Addy PH. Facilitating transpersonal experiences with dextromethorphan: potential, cautions, and caveats. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. 2007;39(1):1–22.